Etymology

brick joke

Today it means: A joke in a film, television show, book etc, in which there is a substantial gap between set-up and punchline, typically bringing back an unresolved plot point after the audience is expected to have forgotten about it. Full definition →

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The story

First coined on media analysis wiki TV Tropes, inspired by an older pair of jokes. In the first joke, a man throws a brick in the air in the punchline. The second joke appears to be unrelated, but then ends with a dog catching the brick.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.